Live streaming is big business right now. Data from Statista shows that gaming streams alone clocked up 7.2 billion hours of watch time during the third quarter of 2022. From gaming to other forms of entertainment, Stream Charts data shows that, on average, 8.1 million concurrent viewers watch live content on YouTube.
Immediacy is one of the main reasons live streaming is so popular right now. Reality and interaction also draw people to live streams. A great example of this love of live interaction comes from the gaming world. Specifically, online casino gaming sites that have live dealer tables.
Live streams make entertainment interactive
Live roulette games, such as Power Up, Lucky 6, and Quantum, are an interesting blend of entertainment and engagement. They’re engaging because dealers not only control the game but interact with players. Their job is to make the stream a social experience as well as a way for players to win cash prizes. They do this by calling out numbers, narrating the action, and making idle chit-chat in between spins.
Live roulette games are both engaging and entertaining. The same goes for other types of live streams, but is the end in sight? Despite live streams becoming a dominant medium for entertainment, its time might be running out. Why? Because of virtual reality.
As we’ve said, people tune into live streams because they offer an immediate form of entertainment. Virtual reality (VR) devices can meet this desire for immediate entertainment. Reality and interaction are the other reasons we watch live streams. Virtual reality devices also meet these demands, and, in many ways, do them better. Yes, we’ll admit that avatars aren’t as realistic as seeing a real person in front of you. However, there are real people behind avatars, so the interactions we have in the VR universe are authentic.
VR is more realistic than live streaming
In terms of realism, there’s no comparison. Again, we’re moving around digital spaces. However, we’re immersed in these digital spaces. This sense of being inside the digital space makes it feel real. What’s more, we’re active. In contrast, live streaming is a passive form of entertainment. Then, when you add haptic technology to the mix, things start to get interesting. Indeed, as VR technology evolves, the lines between physical and digital will become increasingly blurred.
When this happens, live streaming will lose its luster. We’re not saying it will completely fade away. It might be the case that we start watching live streams within VR spaces. However, when it comes to being a form of entertainment that’s popular because it offers a more interactive experience than TV, movies, and videos, streaming is in danger of losing its monopoly.
VR devices will have to be refined if they’re going to become a product everyone has at home. The point here though is that virtual reality has the potential to usurp live streaming by offering immediately immersive entertainment in better ways. It might not play out this way, but it looks like live streaming may have had its day.
Featured image credit: Jesus Loves Austin / Unsplash
